Casket-holder



No. 750,282. PATENTED JAN. 26, 1.904.

G. I. HONOLD. GASKET HOLDER.

APPLIOATION FILED AUGl 31; 1903.`

UNITED STATES atented .anuary P26, 1904.

GOTTLOB F. HONOLD, OF SHEBOYGAN, WISCONSIN.

GASKET-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 750,282, dated January 26, 1904.

Application filed August 31, 1903.

To @ZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GoT'rLoB F. HoNoLD, residing at Sheboygan, in the county of Sheboygan and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Casket-Holders, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part 'of this specication.

At the rooms of undertakers it is common to provide a series of upright cabinets along a wall of the room, each cabinet having a front door that swings outwardly and downwardly from the top, to which door on the inside a casket is fastened in such manner that when the door is opened and thrown down in a horizontal position the casket will be exposed to view resting on the door.

The object of the present invention is to provide improved means for securing a casket detachably to the door or other tilting support, which means are automatic, so far as seizing and clamping the casket is concerned, and are so constructed as to not in any manner injure or mar the finish on the casket.

The invention consists of the device, its parts and combinations, as herein described and claimed or the equivalents thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows a fragment of a cabinet in section with its door hinged thereto and thrown down in horizontal posi- `tion with my improved casket-holding device mounted thereon. The relation of a casket thereto is shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a side view of a fragment of a cabinet with the door thereof opened and thrown down in horizontal position with my improved device thereon and a casket in dotted lines indicated in connection therewith. Fig. 3 is a detail of one of the catches on my device in connection with a fragment of a casket, showing the mode of operation. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 exhibit def tails of the construction.

My improved device is adapted to be employed in connection with any tilting support for a casket or analogous article; but as for the purpose of exhibiting them caskets are usually fastened to a door that is capable of being thrown down I have shown my invention in connection with a cabinet 2, provided 'farther apart.

Serial No. 171,364. (No model.)

lwith a door 8, that is hinged near its lower end to the front wall of the cabinet. At its inner end the door 3 is arranged to engage stops 4 4, secured to the side walls of the cabinet, by which stops the door is held in horizontal position when it is open and thrown down outwardly. Such cabinet constructions are in common use.

For seizing and clamping a casket A on the inside of the door or on any suitable tilting support therefor I provide the device consisting of an elongated strap or bar 5, passing movably through the guides 6 6, securedvat a distance apart to the door and slidable endwise therein. These cleat or bracket guides 6 6 are secured to the support conveniently by means of screws. At that end of the bar 5 which is the lower end when the door is uptilted the bar is provided with a catch 7, which isV conveniently formed of the overturned end of the bar, having advisably wings or side members 8 8, that are turned up at right angles or slightly over and incurved from the plane of the bar, the construction being adapted to take thereon a pad 9, of felt or other cushioning material. At the other eX- tremity the bar is provided with a series of holes 10, providing for the pivoting thereto of two curved and laterally-extending arms 11 11, each terminating in a catch 7, advisably made substantially like the catch 7 at the foot of the bar 5, as above described. These branching arms 11, that at their inner ends are pivoted by a common pin 12 to the bar 5, pass laterally through the guides 13 13, similar in general form to the guides 6 6 and secured to the door or support conveniently by means of.

screws. These guides 13 13 are so disposed as to form runways for the arms 11 in directions at right angles to the length of the bar 5, so that when the bar 5 is moved downwardly, or toward the bottom of the door or support, the outer ends of the arms 11 will be drawn inwardly, and when the bar 5 is moved toward the top or outer end of the door the outer free ends of the arms l1wi ll be moved For obviating friction and permitting the arms 11..to movea's freely as possible I advisably employ antifrictionwheels 14 14, one in each of the guides 13.

IOO

These antifriction-wheels are located in the lower side of the guides 13 13, so as to receive thereon the bearing and travel of the arms 11 along their lower edges. For adapting the device for engaging caskets of varying sizes the arms 11 11 can be pivoted to the bar 5 by inserting the pin 12 through the arms and through the bar in any of the holes 10 which would lengthen or shorten the device to suoli extent as desired. The extent of the spread of the arms 11 can be regulated by the distance to which the bar 5 is moved toward the top or outer end of the door in its guideways.

The construction of the device is such that when the door or support is let down in the manner shown in Fig. 2 if then a casket is placed on the device, resting on the guides 6 and 13 and within the catches 7 and 7 a and so that the end of the casket is against the catch 7, then on uptilting the door 3 the weight of the casket will be on the catch 7 and bar 5, forcing it down with such effect as to pull the arms 11 11 inwardly toward each other, bringing the catches 7 a against the sides of the casket, and thus clamping it in position on the door, so that when the door is in vertical position the casket cannot escape therefrom. When the door is let down, as shown in Fig. 2, the casket will merely rest on the device in the manner there shown.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. A casket-holder, comprising an uptiltable support, an elongated bar having a projecting catch at its lower end and slidable endwise on the support, and branching obliquely-disposed arms pivoted to the elongated bar near its other end and provided with terminal catches and secured movably to the support so as by the 'movement of the bar endwise to be caused to separate or to move toward each other, the construction being such that the weight of a casket on the catch at the lower end of the bar occurring by the uptilting of the support with the casket thereon forces the bar downwardly and draws the branch bars inwardly causing the catches to seize and hold the casket in place on the support.

2. A casket-holder, comprising an uptiltable support, an elongated bar secured to and slidable endwise on the support and having a terminal projecting catch at its lower end, two branching arms pivoted at one end to the elongated bar and slidable laterally toward and from each other in ways therefor on the support, said ways, and projecting terminal catches on said arms, the construction being such that the weight of a casket on the catch at the lower end of the bar occurring by the uptilting of the support with the casket thereon forces the bar downwardly and draws the branch bars inwardly causing the catches to seize and hold the casket in place on the support. y

3. In combination, a door hinged to be capable of being swung up and down, guides secured to the door, an elongated bar the lower end of which is turned outwardly forming a catch said bar being slidable endwise in said guides and adapted to be forced down by a weight on said catch when said door is uptilted, branching arms pivoted to the upper end of said ar the outer free ends of which arms are overturned outwardly forming catches, and other guides on the door in which the arms are mounted and travel laterally.

4C. In a device for seizing and holding a casket, a main bar and branching arms pivoted thereto, said bar and arms being overturned at their free ends forming catches, said catches having upturned side wings, and pads inserted between the wings and secured to the catches.

5. In a device for seizing and holding a casket, a support, a main bar movable endwise on the support, branching arms pivoted to the main bar near its top and movable laterally toward and from the bar, and guides for the arms provided with bearing-wheels disposed to receive the travel of the lower edges of the arms thereon.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GOT'ILOB F. HONOLD. 

